Frozen Hearts
by KirbyWrites
Summary: On the day of Sword and Blade's knighting ceremony, something goes terribly wrong, and now the pair are out for Kirby and Meta Knight! What has happened to them, and why have they turned on their lord so suddenly? Uses Japanese names, however Dedede's grammar issues are borrowed from KRBY. I do not own anything in this story.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction, so if you find anything wrong with the writing, don't be afraid to say so and I'll fix it. I know this is a little on the short side, but I'll work on it! By the way, I wrote this with Google Docs, so I will be using a lot of dividers to keep the paragraphs separate.**

* * *

Meta Knight awoke to something jumping on him. Being jumped on wasn't necessarily the best way to be woken up for him, so he tried to ignore it as much as he could; eventually, however, he couldn't take it anymore. Eyes still shut, he blindly felt for his mask and put it on before he opened his eyes to a face full of poyoing pink. "Morning, Mena Kni, poyo," Kirby chirruped, bounding off the bed.

"You're up early, little one," Meta Knight chuckled, getting off himself. "You didn't wake Sword and Blade in your rampage over here?" Kirby shook his head, took the knight's hand, and began dragging him towards the door. "Sword training this early in the morning? Alright, as long as we stop to get a bite to eat first."

"Food poyo, food poyo!" Kirby exclaimed. "Pancakes, poyo?"

"You want pancakes? Fine, we can get pancakes just this once." As Kirby and Meta Knight sauntered out of the apartment, a certain masked puffball darted in the closing door.

"Y-You actually mean it, Sir? Our knighting ceremony?" Sword exclaimed, sitting up on his bed.

"Of course. You two have earned it, what with working so hard around the castle all day." Meta Knight replied in a calm voice.

"Sir, are you sick? Your voice sounds a little… weird. And even though I really don't want to say this, if you need to put off our knighting ceremony for a later day, we wouldn't mind." Blade said. "I know you slept very late last night, sir."

"No, I feel fine. If you would like, we could do it now. The king is waiting."

"Dedede? Do we have to put up with that annoying penguin during the greatest day of our lives?"

"Even if you feel that way, knighting ceremonies are always conducted under the presence of a king, and though Dedede may not act like the responsible leader he is supposed to be, he is still a king by name."

"Alright. Let's get on with it and hope that Dedede doesn't interfere any more than necessary." The three knights left their room with a flourish and headed towards the throne room. Halfway there, Meta Knight suddenly stopped.

"Sir? Why did you stop?" Blade asked. "Have you forgotten your sword or something?"

"No, Blade. I just remembered that I must check in with the king before doing this. You two keep walking and I'll meet you at the throne room."

"Alright, whatever you say, sir." Sword and Blade continued walking as Meta Knight turned into a small hallway and ran off.

* * *

"Well, how'd it go, Escargon?" Dedede asked when the doors opened. "Are those two knight students of Meta Knight's coming?"

"I thought for sure they had found me out. They asked if I was sick." the snail sighed, taking off the fake mask. "Being Meta Knight is harder than I thought it would be. His body's so round, I have to tuck my tail in whenever I walk! It's real uncomfortable, especially since he's supposed to have all this heavy armor too."

"They believed you in the end, right? 'Cause that's the only thing that matters! And you still got that fake sword I ordered from Nightmare Enterprises?"

"The sword hasn't left my sight ever since I received it. As for his students, yes, they believed me. I told them to meet me here. I'm sure they went off in the right direction and they should be coming really soon."

"Sir? Have you checked in with His Majesty yet?" Sword's enthusiastic voice came in through the doors, along with some pounding.

"They're here!" Escargon gasped. "I didn't realize they'd come so quickly!"

"Since they're already here, put that mask of yours on and start acting like Meta Knight already! That's the whole reason we brought 'em here!" Dedede ranted as Escargon picked up the mask from where he had dropped it and attached it to his head.

"Sword, Blade, you may come in. I have checked with His Highness, and he agrees to your ceremony." The double doors were pushed open and Sword and Blade came bounding into the room, wrapped up in their excitement. They were finally going to become real knights; this was the day they had dreamed for.

"Sword, do you vow to defend Dreamland and His Majesty King Dedede, and to protect those who are weaker than you?"

"I do, Sir Meta Knight. And I promise to do you proud when I'm a knight!"

"I'm sure you will. Accept your new title as a knight and wear it with pride. Sword, you shall now be known as Sir Sword Knight." Meta Knight lifted Galaxia and tapped it upon Sword's shoulders. At the touch, the former knave's eyes glowed red from beneath his helmet and stood calmly. The ceremony was gone through again with Blade, and when Galaxia had been sheathed, the two knights stood ready to obey orders.

"The process has been completed, Your Majesty. They'll now do whatever you wish, sire."

"Good! You did your job well, Escargon." Dedede motioned for a troop of Waddle Dees to roll out a series of elemental cannons that had come along with the fake sword, mask, and armor that he had ordered. "Now, I want you two to take the ice and water cannons and clobber Kirby. The annoying pink pest should be out training with the armored blue puff, Meta Knight, at Whispy Woods. Heard their plans earlier."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sword and Blade grabbed the appropriate cannons and darted out of the throne room. When they were gone, Dedede chuckled. "This plan is de-de-delightful! Meta Knight and Kirby will never know what hit 'em!"

"Please, sire, enough with the puns."


	2. Chapter 1

**So here is Chapter 1! I have already pre-written Chapter 2 and half of Chapter 3, so I'm planning to upload Chapter 2 soon. I know both this and the prologue are extremely short, but Chapter 2 is very long- so long, in fact, that I may have to split it up. As usual, please read and review; I do read every one of the reviews you send me and they mean a lot to me as a beginning writer.**

* * *

"Do not be so eager to attack. Sometimes waiting can be your best option if you want to catch an enemy off-guard." Meta Knight instructed. The side of Kirby's sword collided with Meta Knight's block as the two sparred in one of Whispy Woods' many grass-filled clearings. "Poyokay!" Kirby cheerfully replied before jumping back to avoid one of his mentor's slashes. He waited for a while and let his guard down, yawning and letting his sword arm droop. Meta Knight was confused; why wasn't his student attacking him? Kirby wasn't normally this tired during a training session; the pink puff was always bouncing with energy. Furthermore, he had been the one to wake the knight up in the first place.

Suddenly, Kirby's gleaming sword appeared at the edge of his vision, slicing through his thoughts and causing him to instinctively block the attack. But instead of crashing with Galaxia like he had expected, Kirby's sword weaved under his and knocked it out of his hand. The sword flew into the air and landed in the grass on the other side of the clearing. "I'll admit you caught me there, Kirby," Meta Knight quietly praised as he walked to his sword and picked it up.

"Kaabii beat Mena Kn-Kni, poyo!" Kirby cheered. He knew how good his mentor was when it came to swordfighting, so beating him was a huge accomplishment for the little Star Warrior.

"Blade," Sword called. "There they are." Blade squirmed uncomfortably in the bush and turned his attention to where his fellow knight was pointing.

"We should deceive them. Play tricks on them and get our sweet revenge at the end." Blade suggested.

"How are we going to deceive them? Meta Knight's so attentive, you couldn't get past him if you were invisible! Not to mention that he's suspicious of practically everything."

"I've got a plan. So here it is…"

* * *

Meta Knight heard faint whispers from the bushes as he watched Kirby snack on apples from under a tree. After walking around the clearing and finding nothing, he concluded that it was just the wind. He was about to sit back down again when a familiar tuft of red hair sprouted from behind a bush.

"Hello, Blade. Here to watch Kirby train?"

"I thought the little puffball could use a shower. He looks hot," Blade replied, pulling out the water cannon. Before Meta Knight could object, his knave blasted Kirby with water; Kirby seemed to like the water, frolicking in the spray with delighted giggles. Meta Knight watched the pink puff play in the spray of water, eyes sparkling blue. What the knight didn't see was a discrete signal from Blade to Sword.

A cannon fired and mist flooded the clearing. The sound drew Meta Knight's attention immediately as he tried to determine the cannon's location through the mist. Then an icy white cannonball sliced through the fog and flew straight towards the unsuspecting Kirby, who was still playing in a stream of water. "Kirby, watch out!" Meta Knight yelled, throwing himself into the path of the shot. The shot slammed into the knight, sending him flying into a tree. "Kn-Kni!" Kirby screamed, running over to help his fallen mentor. "Mena Kni!" But when Kirby got there, Meta Knight was already half encased in ice.

"Kirby… do not think of going after Sword and Blade on your own. You will need help- help that I am unfortunately unable to give right now. Perhaps others can help you, but right now, do what you must to get… me… free…" The last few words were choked out as the ice fully covered Meta Knight and his eyes faded to a dark brown. Tears leaked out of Kirby's crestfallen blue eyes and splashed onto the frozen knight. Sorrow welled up inside him, but the sadness he felt was quickly turned to anger when he heard Blade's mocking voice behind him.

"Ah, how pathetic. Seems like your little _mentor_ valued your life over his. While I must admit that it was brave, it was certainly foolish. Now that no one's in the way, let's fight, Kirby!" Blade challenged, pulling out his sword. "Kirby?" But the little pink puff had already left- and he had taken Meta Knight with him.

"Hey Blade! Why aren't you fighting with Kirby yet?" Sword asked, jumping out from behind the bush.

"Little guy's disappeared to somewhere. Don't ask me where, 'cause I don't know."

"We'd better spread out and find him fast. Those stubby legs of his couldn't have gone far."

* * *

Kirby floated through the air, clutching Meta Knight with his arms. The ice encasing his mentor was very slippery, and the frozen bundle threatened to slip out of his paws every moment he was in the air. "Where should I take Meta Knight?" he thought, looking at the castle. "Of course! The castle! Fumu will know what to do." Kirby landed in a bush with a soft "poyo" and lifted Meta Knight on top of his head. Then he began the long walk up to Dedede's castle.

"Hi Kirby," Fumu greeted when she saw Kirby. "What do you have there?" The said puffball gently placed the frozen knight on the grass before attempting to explain.

"Kn-Kni twain Kaabii. Kaabii beat. Sword and Bwade fweeze. But they weally want fweeze Kaabii, so Mena protect." Kirby explained in his limited language.

"But why would Sword and Blade want to do that? If anything, they would be helping Meta Knight, not harming him."

"Sword and Bwade tease Kaabii too, poyo." At this, Kirby's eyes welled up with tears.

"Oh, Kirby, don't cry. In the meantime, let's get Meta Knight up to his room and figure out a way to get through this ice. I have a feeling that Dedede is behind this."


	3. Chapter 2 Part 1

**Look, it's Chapter 2! This is only a part of it, since it is so long that I have to split it up into 4 parts. I'll post a part of this chapter every day, however after that, it will not be as quick as I'm in the process of writing Chapter 3. Plus, I also have school, and school sucks (I'm sorry if you actually** ** _like_** **school).**

* * *

"I wonder how we're going to break through this ice," Fumu sighed. "It's pretty thick and doesn't seem to be melting." Kirby also sighed, sitting near the roaring fire that his friend had built in the fireplace. As he eyed the wide range of weapons hanging on the wall of Meta Knight's room, an idea suddenly struck him. Kirby got up from his seat and stood on the tips of his feet, trying to reach the handle of a large mace. "I don't think that's going to do much good, Kirby," Fumu remarked, "though if you want to try, go for it." The two of them slowly lowered the spiked weapon down from the wall; when she was sure Kirby had the mace securely in hand, Fumu sat back down in the chair next to the fire. "Poyoy… timber poyo poy!" Kirby warned as the mace slipped forward. She jumped out of the way as the giant spiked ball crashed down onto the block of ice. The ice shattered into pieces and the unconscious knight crashed to the ground, coughing and shivering violently. The mace came down on the rug, missing Meta Knight's arm by a few inches. "Well, at least you got him free. Even better, we didn't impale him on the spikes," Fumu said. "Kirby, go get some blankets."

* * *

When Meta Knight woke up, he was very disoriented… and cold. He felt nothing and he couldn't move. As time went by, feeling returned to his body as he shivered; he opened his eyes to find that he was in his room, lying on an armchair next to the fireplace bundled in blankets. Someone was off to the side, intently watching him.

"Hey Kirby!" A familiar voice yelled. "He's awake; you can come in and talk to him now!"

"Mena Kni!" Kirby squealed, launching himself on top of his mentor.

"Careful, Kirby; he just woke up!" Meta Knight recognized the voice as Fumu's. But what was she doing in his room?

"Sir Meta Knight? Do you feel okay?" Fumu asked. "You had quite an ordeal, you know."

"Very cold, but otherwise fine," he rasped as his student nuzzled him. "And did Kirby tell you about what happened this morning?"

"Yes. Kirby told me that Sword and Blade came by and tried to freeze him after he beat you in a training session. But you absorbed the shot and protected him."

"I remember all that. But my main question is- why would Sword and Blade want to freeze Kirby?"

"I have a feeling that Dedede caused all this. I just know that Sword and Blade would never turn against you or Kirby, especially overnight. In the meantime, we need to get you to your bed now that you're awake. Do you feel well enough to walk to your bed?"

"..."

"Meta Knight? Can't you move?"

"I'm trying to. Strangely, however, my body won't respond. It's as if I'm frozen, but without the ice."

"What the... how?"

* * *

"Blade, I give up. It's been forever since Kirby ran off, and we haven't seen one sign of him. He could be anywhere in Dreamland by now!" Sword whined. "Even if we do find his whereabouts right now, it would take us forever to get there and Kirby could move someplace else."

"We can't give up! His Majesty is depending on us to find and capture the two of them. The king has plans for them."

"But I'm tired, and we have no clues as to where Kirby went. He might not even be on Popstar anymore!"

"Fine. Let's go back to Dedede and give our report. But if he gets mad that we let Kirby and Meta Knight get away, I'll personally tell him it was you who decided to give up." Blade retorted.

 _Later, at Castle Dedede…_

"What?! You let Kirby and Meta Knight escape?" King Dedede shouted.

"We're sorry, sire, but-" Sword intervened.

"No buts! Get out of this room and scour every room of this here castle and don't come back here 'til you've found and captured the both of them!"

"Yes, sire!" Sword and Blade darted out of the throne room at once, afraid they'd incur the king's wrath once more.

* * *

Hurried footsteps, accompanied with clanking armor, echoed down the hallways and penetrated into every room. "That sound can only mean one thing," Meta Knight said. "Sword and Blade are coming for me and Kirby."

"We can't let them find you two here! Can you move anything yet?" Fumu replied, slightly panicking.

"Not exactly… Though I can feel my left arm loosening a little, it's not enough to be of any use."

"That's good, but not good enough. Anything from your legs at all?" Meta Knight squeezed his eyes shut and tried to move just one of his legs, but nothing happened.

"Nothing, Fumu. I'm sorry."

"Then we have no other choice. I know you don't like it when people do this, so please forgive me." Fumu picked up the paralyzed knight and carried him to a supply closet in the hallway. Kirby cautiously followed the two into the closet, desperate to stay with his injured mentor. "Kirby, I'm going to need you to stay here and take care of Meta Knight. Make sure he's comfortable." Fumu instructed.

"Poyokay."

"I don't need anyone to watch over me, Fumu." Meta Knight replied in an embarrassed tone. "Surely I can take care of myself."

"Seeing as you're basically paralyzed, I think you do need some help." Fumu retorted, touching the knight's head. "And you're so cold! Here, let me get some blankets for you." Meta Knight began to snap back, a stinging reply forming in his head, before he thought better of it, wrapped himself up in his cape, and allowed her to drape the blankets over his shivering body.

* * *

"Anybody in here?" Sword's voice came from the other side of the door. "We're searching for someone in this castle!"

"Sounds like Sword and Blade are here. You two stay here; Kirby, make sure you be quiet and take care of your mentor, ok?" Fumu said.

"Poyo!" Kirby saluted, bringing his stubby arm up as high as he could. Fumu giggled, then closed the door to the supply closet. As she was walking down the hallway to answer the door, Sword's voice came through again. "Open up in the name of King Dedede, or we'll bust this door down!" When Fumu opened the door, Sword and Blade seemed quite surprised to see her there.

"Hello, Miss Fumu. May I kindly ask what you are doing in Meta Knight's room?" Blade asked.

"I was looking for him. I haven't seen him since yesterday and I wanted to make sure that he was alright. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, do you?"

"In fact, that's the reason we're here. Is he not in this room?"

"No. I've checked the whole place and there's no sign of him. I was just leaving."

"We'll take your word for it, since you've helped us in the past. Thank you for searching this room for us." With that, the two knights abruptly left and went to go check other rooms.

* * *

After making sure that the two had truly gone, she ducked back inside and locked the front door. As she walked back to the supply closet, she heard muffled noises coming from inside, along with a few confused "poyo's". Fumu opened the door to find Meta Knight sneezing uncontrollably and Kirby hugging the knight's blanket-covered back in an attempt to share his body heat. "Sir Meta Knight, are you okay?" Fumu asked, laughter threatening to break loose.

"Kn-Kni not feel good. Poyo think he cold." Kirby replied, getting shaken off the knight's back.

"Mmh… yes, Kirby, I am cold… and Fumu, don't you dare laugh about this." Meta Knight said in between sneezes, trembling and pressing his masked face into a pillow in front of him.

"I'll try not to," the said girl giggled. "The good news is that Sword and Blade are gone now, so we can finally move you to your bed, where you belong."

"I'm not that sick, am I? If I rest for a few days, this will go away soon enough."

"Meta Knight, just this once, I need you to just admit that you're sick- and badly at that. You can't even move your body!"

"Yes, I can," the knight retorted, lifting his left arm and letting it flop back on the blankets. "It's not much, but it is a start. Go on and pick me up, though it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it." Fumu grinned, picked up the armored blue puffball, and began walking to Meta Knight's bedroom. Along the way, the paralyzed knight let out one last sneeze, which was too much for Fumu to take. She burst out laughing along with Kirby; Meta Knight rolled his eyes behind his mask and groaned.


	4. Chapter 2 Part 2

**This is Part 2 of Chapter 2. Only 2 more parts to go until Chapter 2 is finished! I am almost done with Chapter 3, so I should be done by the time I post all of this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Well? How'd the search go? Any sign of that persistent pink pest and the armored blue ball?" King Dedede asked.

"Nothing, Your Majesty. They don't seem to be in the castle at all! We've checked every room in the entire castle, except for one that Fumu already checked for us-"

"Fumu? You let Fumu check a room for you?! That girl is the friend of both Kirby _and_ Meta Knight! Go back to whatever room she checked and search it yourself!" King Dedede yelled, seething with anger.

"And they've still got to be in this castle," Escargon added. "After all, Waddle Doo reported right before you came in- no one has left or entered the castle after Kirby."

"Escargon is right! I saw Fumu and Kirby talking with my very own eyes, and judging from what you're saying, I can trust my eyes more than I can trust you!" The king shouted. "Now get out there and find them!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Sword and Blade backed out of the throne room nervously and dashed back into the maze of hallways.

* * *

The door to Meta Knight's room slammed open, startling Fumu. "Sir Meta Knight! Sword and Blade are back!" she informed, running back to the bed. "What should we do? I told them that I already left, so I'll need to hide myself too!"

"Fumu. Don't panic." Meta Knight's voice was weaker than before, but neither of them paid attention to it. "The supply closet doesn't have a lock… I suppose we'll have to use the secret hallway. Sword and Blade don't know about this, so we'll be safe." Meta Knight extended a shaky left arm and pulled open a drawer on his bedside table. Inside was a tiny remote control with a single button.

"Take it and push the button. Something should open up in the corner over there," he instructed. An erratic uproar came from the main room; Fumu could hear stuff being knocked over and shoved aside as she picked up the controller. Then Kirby came running into the room, followed by two very angry knights.

"There's Kirby! Meta Knight too! Let's hurry and grab the both of them." Sword fumed.

"You don't know how much trouble you've caused between us and the king!" Blade continued.

"Kirby! Over here!" Fumu called. She pushed the button and ran into the hallway that opened up in the corner, picking up Meta Knight and grabbing Kirby's arm in the process. Once they were in the hallway, she pushed the button again; the small door slid shut, leaving Sword and Blade kicking at the wall in frustration.

"We lost them again," Sword dejectedly moaned. "Dedede will be so mad about this."

"I heard Meta Knight mentioning a secret hallway like this before. Think it ends out in Whispy Woods or something of the like." Blade replied determinedly.

"Let's go search in the woods then. We'll be able to find them soon enough!" As their footsteps and muffled voices faded away, Fumu sat by the entrance of the secret hall, listening for any sign that they were still there. "Kirby… please get off me…" Meta Knight murmured from behind her. "I need to sleep…" Fumu turned around to see Kirby climbing the knight, who had buried himself in a pile of blankets. The pink puff jumped off and raced up to Fumu, chattering about something being hot.

"There's nothing hot down here, Kirby. It's just you, me, and Sir Meta Kni-" What Kirby was trying to say suddenly hit Fumu like a cannonball. "Sir Meta Knight!" She went over to the blue knight lying in the blankets, who was shivering for some reason, and felt the top of his head. Her finger came away slicked with sweat and feeling like it had just been torched by a flame. "So that's what you meant by something being hot," Fumu whispered. "We've got to go back. I think Sword and Blade are gone anyways." She pushed the button and the doorway to the room opened back up.

* * *

"Isn't this a risk, considering I was paralyzed because of the cold?" Meta Knight asked skeptically.

"It's a risk we're simply going to have to take. After the fever goes down, then we can work on strengthening your arms and legs." Fumu insisted. "Oh, and one other thing. We need to take your mask off."

"No! The mask stays on, whether you like it or not."

"You won't get better unless you do!" As Meta Knight and Fumu argued, they didn't notice Kirby climbing in and out of the bathtub, removing the knight's cape, sword, and armor. After all of that was resting on a nearby table, Kirby mounted Meta Knight and unclasped his mask, causing the knight to fall flat on his exposed face. It also stopped the argument. "Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, holding up the mask.

"Just get this over with already," Meta Knight grumbled, pushing himself up with unsteady arms. "Please don't tell anyone what I really look like." With his pink cheeks, lack of armor, and overall cute face, he bore a striking resemblance to Kirby.

"You look just like Kirby!" Fumu laughed, turning on the cold water. "We promise not to tell anyone, so don't worry. And look, now you can use your other arm!"

"Yes, I know I look like Kirby," Meta Knight replied, blushing slightly and covering his face with his hands. "As for my arm, it's because of the fever that I can move it, and a fire could help, though that may need to wait until after this." There was silence for a while as the water slowly filled the bathtub.

"Poyo!" Kirby interrupted the tranquility and took a running start from the door. He leapt into the bathtub with his mentor, splashing the freezing water on everyone in the room. As Kirby splashed about in the tub, Fumu cleared her wet hair out of her face and scolded, "Oh, Kirby. Now look what you've done."


	5. Chapter 2 Part 3

**I have decided to split chapter 3 into 2, meaning that I will be able to upload chapter 3 while working on Chapter 4. Until then, however, enjoy the latest installment of Meta Knight and Kirby's misadventures! By the way, I uploaded this from my phone as opposed to using a computer, so if it looks a bit weird, I'm sorry.**

* * *

Meanwhile, Sword and Blade had been wandering Whispy Woods for what seemed to be hours. They seemed to be going in circles; no matter where they went, they always ended up right back in the clearing with Whispy in it. "Hey Blade," Sword called, "I think we're lost."

"I don't care if we're lost, and I won't care until we've searched every tree in the forest!" Blade answered.

"But when you compare your patience and the trees, I think you'll find that there's way more trees in this forest than there is patience in that mind of yours."

"You're right. We just can't search this whole forest, and the sun's already setting!"

"No doubt Dedede will have us stay out here until we find Kirby and Meta Knight. Are you sure the other door to the secret hallway was in Whispy Woods?"

"You know, maybe it was in Kabu Canyon. I haven't seen any good places to put a secret door here yet. Too many trees, so it'd be too easy to lose the door."

"Seriously?! After all these hours going from tree to tree, you say we're in the wrong place?"

"It was worth a try! It could've been here for all I know! Let's get out of here and search the canyon before we head back."

* * *

"Can you not get out of the bathtub?" Fumu grinned, scooping a wet Kirby out of the water.

"Yes, I can very well manage that without your help," Meta Knight retorted. He gripped the side with both hands and pulled half of his body out of the water before they gave out, which caused him to go sliding back in.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Fumu asked, grabbing a few towels.

"The gesture is appreciated, however I am fairly sure I do not need your help." Meta Knight seemed sure of himself, but the strain of trying to get out showed on his face. He gave up again with a loud sigh, splashing back into the mass of water.

"Kaabii help," Kirby piped up, wriggling out of Fumu's arms and splashing back into the bathtub. Taking a deep breath, he dove underwater and pushed against the knight's feet.

"Kirby, please don't, I'm going to fall!" Meta Knight exclaimed, gripping the edge again. But that only made the said puff thrust harder until eventually, his mentor tumbled into an outstretched towel. Kirby's head popped up to Meta Knight's cold, yet amused glare; he smiled apologetically and clambered out of the bathtub, kicking the plug out on the way.

* * *

Kabu Canyon would've been a great place to put a secret door; at least, if the canyon wasn't so big! Sword and Blade couldn't hope to search the whole canyon, especially if they didn't know what they were searching for. "We've got to be looking for a door," Sword argued. "What else would he hide here- a button?"

"I'm telling you, that's what we're looking for," Blade riposted. "If you'd paid attention when they got away the last time, Fumu was holding a controller!"

"Go searching around then! See if you find any controller!"

"As a matter of fact, I think I will." Blade got up off the rock he had been sitting on and walked towards Kabu. Suddenly, he tripped and crashed onto the ground. Sword walked over to what Blade had tripped on and picked it up. "This doesn't look like an ordinary pebble," Sword remarked. "Actually, it looks like a…"

"Controller! See, I told you this is what we've been looking for the whole time!" Blade shouted. He grabbed the controller from Sword and pushed the biggest button on it. A grinding sound echoed around the canyon as the ground opened up below them.

* * *

"I've got to go now, Meta Knight. I've been in here for most of the day, and my family and I are invited to one of the king's royal parties tonight. We received the 'Waddle Dee experience' package from the king." Fumu said as she left the room.

"Have fun being painted as a Waddle Dee," Meta Knight chuckled. "Jokes aside, though, I think I'll be fine." Fumu shot him a sharp glare before closing the door, leaving him and Kirby alone. The two sat alone in silence next to the live fireplace for a while until Kirby climbed on top of his mentor and forced him to lie down. "Gah! Kirby, what are you doing?" Meta Knight exclaimed as Kirby climbed on top of him.

"Down," Kirby stubbornly insisted, pushing down against the knight's shoulders.

"Alright, alright." Meta Knight's eyes turned pink as he let his student push him down. "But why do you want me to lie down?"

"Massage," Kirby grinned, thinking of the time Kawasaki had rubbed him after a bath. The pink puffball began to lightly jab his mentor's feet, coaxing a few stifled laughs from the knight. Suddenly Meta Knight felt how drained he really was; Kirby's light jabbing and the warmth of the fire prompted him to fall asleep. Before long, he felt himself succumbing to the dark depths of sleep; he tried to resist, but it was no use. Within seconds, he had fallen into slumber's cold grasp.

* * *

Blade landed on a bed of soft moss. Obviously this tunnel was well-used; there were many footprints and a small dent in the moss he had landed in. Suddenly, something made of metal slammed into him from above and knocked the air out of him. "What the… Sword, did you have to land on me, of all things?" Blade asked, annoyed.

"I had to, unless I wanted to risk falling to my death or slamming my head against the ceiling of the tunnel. Other than the moss you're currently hogging, there's nothing else to land on!" Sword retorted. "And why are we arguing about my landing on you when we should be focused on the end of this hallway?"

"You're right. Let's go!"


	6. Chapter 2 Part 4

**It's the last part of Chapter 2! I was bored, and you guys probably want Ch. 2 to be finished already, so here you go. Also, I'm having a few problems keeping paragraphs separate. I change views a lot, so if any of you have any tips on how to keep paragraphs apart, please tell me how! (Double-spacing, for some reason, doesn't work for me.)**

* * *

"Kirby? Sir Meta Knight? Are you in there?" Fumu called. She had just realized that Meta Knight hadn't had anything to eat or drink since this morning; on the other hand, Kirby had probably helped himself to everything in the fridge. Her thoughts swam away as she heard scuffles on the door. Finally, Kirby managed to open the door. "Poyo shhh! Meta sleeping." Kirby scolded, opening the door wider.

"Sorry! I didn't know he was sleeping. Could you take this and give it to Sir Meta Knight when he wakes up? And be sure you don't eat anything inside," Fumu said, handing a small bag of food over.

"Ok. Night-night, piya…." Kirby's sentence ended in a yawn as he closed the door. Fumu yawned herself, then plodded back to her own room.

* * *

Meta Knight stood on a large cliff overlooking the ocean. Beside him were Garlude, Jecra, and Falspar, three of his friends from the GSA. They all admired the sun sinking into the watery depths of the horizon and painting the skies with a palette of sunset colors. Then something began to poke his back; when he turned around in annoyance, there was nobody there. Yet that something continued to poke him until he was torn from his blissful dream and dragged back to reality. The room was mostly dark, save for the glowing embers of the fire, when he finally opened his eyes.

"Kirby, what do you want?" Meta Knight asked, piqued that his student had just interrupted his nap.

"Have food. And watah," Kirby answered, holding up a small bag. "You feel betta after you eats." Meta Knight groaned (he didn't really feel like eating), then took the bag and looked inside. There was a small bottle of water, which he gratefully drank from, as well as a wrapped package and a piece of paper. "Thought you might be hungry," the note read, "so I snuck a few provisions from the party. I'll come by in the morning." He gave the package to Kirby, who opened it and pushed it back. "I take it you want me to eat these?" Meta Knight asked, holding the package. "Are you sure you don't want one?" Kirby picked up one of the onigiri inside, held it up for a few seconds, then stuffed the whole thing into the knight's mouth.

* * *

Kirby ran around the room and the hallways; they had finished the food some time ago and he had gotten restless. He had gone into the bedroom before rushing right back out again. "Sword, Bwade, here!" Kirby cried. "Through tunnel, poyo! Coming right now!"

"Sword and Blade are here? Curses; I was hoping they wouldn't find the tunnel at Kabu Canyon," the knight replied, dragging himself into a sitting position. "Kirby, could you-" But Kirby was already handing Meta Knight his armor and sword, as well as helping to put them on. Meta Knight watched, putting his mask on as Kirby busied himself with the task of the cape. "I can do it myself, child," he chuckled, taking it from Kirby and putting it on himself.

"Kaabii have surprise," the pink puff replied. Kirby climbed onto a chair, took the knight's gloved hand, and pulled as hard as he could. To Meta Knight's surprise, he found that he could stand again, even if he did so unsteadily, and with Kirby's assistance, he could walk a bit. His arms felt as strong as ever, and he could manage his sword with ease. Then there were footsteps in the tunnel below, footsteps that could only mean one thing. "Kirby," Meta Knight commanded, a plan forming in his mind, "get behind me and hold on to the back of my cape. I want you to…"

* * *

The end of the hallway wasn't any different from the rest of it, except for the door. At first glance, you could've missed it or mistaken it for a shadow- it was that well concealed. But Sword and Blade weren't fooled. They found the door instantly; however, they had no way to open the door on this end. "Push the button again," Blade suggested, "or try one of the other buttons on the side."

"No way! What if the whole tunnel blows to pieces? And besides, since when have any of your decisions worked?" Sword retaliated. "The last decision you made had us wandering around the woods for hours!"

"Well, then, let me do it myself!" Blade snatched the controller from his companion's hands and started pushing random buttons. After finding that none of them did anything, he threw the controller to the ground, pushing all the buttons at once. Suddenly, the door creaked open, revealing Meta Knight's bedroom. The two looked at each other, then at the controller, before venturing into the room.

* * *

Meta Knight heard the secret corner open with a soft _squeak_. He gripped his sword even harder as the silence of the room was broken by footfalls. "Kirby, remember the plan," the knight whispered to the pink puff hiding in his cape, "because if this plan doesn't work, I don't know what will. You must follow my movements exactly."

"Poyo…" Obviously Kirby was scared, but they had to do it together. Without Kirby, Meta Knight couldn't walk, let alone dodge hits, and there was nothing in the room to give Kirby a Copy Ability. The footsteps got louder and louder as Sword and Blade encroached on their location behind the couch. "Get out here, Meta Knight! We know you're here somewhere!" Blade called from the hallway. "Come out and face us like the 'honorable knight' you are!" At the sound of the voice, Meta Knight stood and stepped out from the cover of the furniture, with Kirby quickly following suit.

"Looking for someone?"


	7. Chapter 3

**This is the whole of Chapter 3; I figured you guys have had enough of me splitting chapters into several pieces (and that's partly my fault, since I write such long paragraphs). Some of you have been asking for more detailed fights, and this isn't much, but you just wait until later! I have also created a poll that I displayed on my profile, so if you would be so kind as to check it out, it is much appreciated.**

* * *

The three knights stared each other down, hoping for the other to make the first move. Silence filled the room once again, but that silence was broken with a wild battle cry. Sword launched himself forward, the tip of his sword leading the charge. Meta Knight leapt gracefully to the side with Kirby's help as his former knave barreled right through. Blade quickly made up for his companion's miss with a quick lunge, which was swiftly blocked with Galaxia. The two made high-speed cuts and stabs with their swords, but were all easily deflected or dodged. Meta Knight had not yet made any move to attack, and it was making his opponents infuriated. "This is a duel! Why is he not attacking us?" Sword indignantly exclaimed. "If his plan is to make us mad, then it's definitely working!"

"That can't be his plan," Blade yelled back. "He's avoiding us for a reason!"

"Kirby, engage attack mode," Meta Knight whispered. He had heard Sword's remark and he was going to give them what they had asked for. The pink puff behind him quickly switched to a more aggressive attack stance, allowing the knight to unleash an unexpected flurry of slashes, stabs, and cuts upon his opponents. Immediately the three knights began trading blows, though most of them didn't land.

Minutes ticked by, and the duel still had no clear winner. Every slash glanced off armor or missed entirely, and no one dared use sword beams for fear of bringing the room crashing down over their heads. "I tire of this game," Sword announced. "Blade, deploy Plan B!" Both of them brought their swords in an uppercut slash and knocked Galaxia right out of Meta Knight's hands. The sacred sword landed behind the knight, sliding towards the couch.

"We've got you now," Blade challenged, "so come with us quietly while you still have a chance."

"Since when would I submit to the likes of you?" Meta Knight growled. "I'd sooner jump into the volcano outside."

"Have it your way, then!" Swords arced towards his mask, only to be clapped together with a piercing _clang_! The knight had stopped the swords with his gloved hands, pinning the blades together with such strength that the weapons wouldn't move in any direction. Meta Knight let his grip on the swords go and they clattered to the ground. Sword and Blade gradually picked up their weapons and transitioned into a perfect backward cut.

* * *

Meta Knight tried to jump away from the slashes when he realized his feet were frozen again. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't move them at all, and his arms had returned to their half-frozen, awkward state. Even worse, he could feel Kirby struggling to hold up his full weight as the blades came even closer. Then it came- one of the swords sliced a part of him that wasn't covered by his mask, drawing blood; the other dealt a powerful horizontal blow against his mask that threw him back against the sofa, close to his sword. Kirby couldn't hold on as Meta Knight was flung backwards, causing him to be uncovered. "Look at little helpless Kirby here, all by himself," Sword taunted. "Nothing here to give you an advantage, pinkie!"

"Poyoy… Sword, poyo?" Kirby was confused, since his mentor often gave a sword to ensure fair fight.

"No, I am _not_ giving you a sword! And definitely don't try to inhale one of ours!" Kirby stood there, blinking, until he abruptly turned around and inhaled Galaxia. He flipped into the air and a small green hat formed on his head. He drew the sacred sword and landed neatly on the ground with it in his stubby paw. "Sword, why did you say that?! If you hadn't said that, Kirby wouldn't have inhaled Galaxia!" Blade shouted. "He's too strong for us now!"

"Arrgh! Blade, let's go!" Sword yelled. "Mark my words, we'll be back for our revenge! Meet us at Whispy one week from today, and there we will finish this once and for all!" With that, the two leapt into the secret corner and closed it up.

Kirby released his ability, leaving the sword to fall onto the rug, and ran over to Meta Knight. The pink puff leapt onto his mentor and began whimpering as he saw the bleeding gash to the side of the knight's mask. "Don't worry, Kirby; it isn't as bad as it looks," Meta Knight sighed, rubbing Kirby's head. "but what did you use to make me able to move temporarily?"

"Poyo bottle." Kirby got up, tears still shining in his eyes, and brought over a half-empty bottle of spicy ginger blend.

"Did… did you get this from the kitchen?"

"Yeah. But why, poyo poy?"

"Because this isn't for massaging, Kirby. This is for me to cook with." Kirby stared at the bottle for a while before sheepishly grinning and putting it on a shelf. Then he ran off into the hallway and came back with a small roll of bandages and a cup of water. Meta Knight winced as the water ran down the side of his face; though it felt good against his skin, it didn't help extinguish the fiery pain that blossomed from the cut. As the water dripped onto the rug, Kirby began to wrap the bandages around the knight's head, even if it was a little messy. The pink puff was just finishing up when someone knocked on the door, which Kirby gladly opened.

* * *

"Fumu! What are you doing here- it is almost midnight!" Meta Knight exclaimed, grabbing and sheathing his sword.

"The sound of sword fighting woke me," Fumu replied with a yawn. Then she noticed how injured the blue puffball was. "What happened to you?"

"Simply put, Sword and Blade came in while Kirby and I were relaxing. There left no choice but to take them both on."

'What made you think you could take on the both of them in your state? You can't attack properly without the right stance- I've learned that much- and you couldn't dodge anything if they attacked!"

"Kirby provided the stance. After you left for the party, he found one of my spicy cooking blends, which he massaged me with. The blend somehow made me able to move temporarily, and I could walk with Kirby's help."

"Then how did you get the wound on the side of your face?" Fumu reached out a hand to trace the edges of the cut.

"Fumu, don't touch that, please. I… froze again midway- right before some of their slashes were about to hit me. As I was unable to dodge, the swords were able to catch me. Kirby drove Sword and Blade off by inhaling my sword. They told us to meet them at Whispy in a week."

"A week? That's kind of a tight timeframe. I guess we're going to have to start tomorrow, so do you mind if I stay the night here?"

"Not at all, since it looks like Kirby is already." Sure enough, there was Kirby, fast asleep on the couch, clutching a small cushion. He tumbled off of the couch but somehow managed to hang on to the very edge, grinning as he pulled himself back up. "Are you sure you'll be alright out here?" Fumu asked, a concerned look on her face. "Don't you want to be in your bed?"

"I'm fine, thanks…" Meta Knight murmured, falling into blissful sleep. Fumu made no reply, instead waiting until she was sure the knight was asleep, before carrying him to the bed.

* * *

"You what?!" King Dedede was already in a foul mood from being woken up in the middle of the night, and the news of Sword and Blade's failure made him enraged. "I should throw you both in the dungeon for failing me for a third time!"

"Your Majesty, I found this setting inside the red gem on the sword you bought," Escargon noted, indicating where it opened and the dial inside. "It says 'soul bind', and it looks like we can connect their souls to one of the cannons."

"That's just devious! They'll become mindless robots that will perfectly follow my orders!" Dedede laughed, grabbing the sword from Escargon. "And just in time for that battle they planned at Whispy next week. We should try it out now!"

"But sire, there's no instruction manual. How will we know what to do? For all we know, it could bind _us_ to the cannons!"

"It's easy, Escargon. Just turn this here dial to the cannon you want and touch them. Try the 'zap cannon' setting." The snail took the blade back, turned the dial, and lightly touched the edge to Sword's shoulder. The said cannon immediately teleported under Sword's hand and telekinetically forced him to touch it. Sword let out an anguished, pain-filled scream as wisps of light blue smoke drifted over to the cannon. The screams abruptly stopped and Sword handled the cannon, ready to fire at command.

"I-i don't think I want to do that," Blade stuttered. He whirled around and dashed for the door.

"Grr…" Dedede growled. "Hey! You there, uh, Sword! Fire!" A bolt of lightning shot out and hit Blade squarely in the back, causing him to cry out and topple to the floor. The electricity coursed through his armor, preventing him from moving without being shocked.

"Him next, Escargon. Do _whatever_ you want."

* * *

Kirby woke up bright and early next morning. Stretching his stubby arms, he leapt down from the couch and began wandering around the apartment in hopes of finding some breakfast. Passing by the kitchen, he spotted a small fridge; hoping that it was full of food, Kirby opened it. There was a tub of chocolate ice cream, (he didn't know that Meta Knight liked ice cream, let alone chocolate-flavored), a big bowl of sliced watermelon, and a few bottles of water. Kirby took out the bowl of watermelon and closed the fridge. He then proceeded to inhale every last piece before dropping the bowl in the sink, sending the echo everywhere. "Meta Knight, I can't believe you're awake alread-" Fumu stopped short as she walked in the kitchen. "Kirby! Did you go through Meta Knight's fridge?"

"Just have breakfast. But there ice cweam inside- can't be Meta fridge," Kirby replied.

"That is where you are wrong, Kirby. As much as I despise admitting this, yes, the ice cream is mine." Fumu and Kirby spun around at the new voice. Meta Knight was leaning against the wall with pink eyes, cape wrapped around him as per usual.

"I didn't know you could walk already," Fumu remarked. "Last night, you couldn't stand, let alone walk."

"Sleeping in a bed helped," Meta Knight smirked, "though you can imagine my surprise blacking out on the floor and waking up under sheets. And walking is something I can only do if I'm holding onto or leaning on something, like a wall." As an example, he tried walking away from the wall, but ended up falling onto the floor. Kirby enthusiastically helped him stand and let the knight hold onto him. "You must be hungry," Fumu suggested. "Sit down and I'll make some soup."

"I didn't know you could cook," Meta Knight said, surprise evident in his voice.

"I can't. So… would you happen to have any cookbooks?"

* * *

"Hello there, Triple D. What can I get for you today, sire?" The screen in King Dedede's throne room fizzled to life as it smoothly swiveled out of its secret place in the wall.

"You know very well what I want! I want some of them cool new swords!" Dedede dropped the catalog and swung his hands around like he was using an invisible sword; the figure on the screen watched amusedly.

"We do have some new swords, sire, and they're top-of-the-notch! Best technology in the whole galaxy, because they're fused with elemental powers!"

"Then they're just like the cannons I got! I'll order two of the most powerful ones and I'll fork over the cash!"

"Glad to hear it, Your Majesty. We'll send them over right away." The floor opened up in front of the king and his demon transporter popped up with a few electronic noises. A ball of light formed, illuminating the delight on Dedede's face, and when the light faded away, two swords were left on the stage. "These are great!" King Dedede exclaimed, holding them up and swinging them around. "With these, Meta Knight and Kirby are as good as finished!"

* * *

"You're sure you'll be okay alone?" Kirby had just run off somewhere and Fumu was debating the idea of following him. "I'd stay here, but with Sword and Blade likely on the loose somewhere, I have to protect Kirby. The cut on your head is fine, right?"

"Go and watch Kirby. He'll need you to call the Warp Star if he's in danger, and if I'm in trouble, I'm sure you'll know." Meta Knight shrugged, slipping another spoonful of soup under his mask. "And yes, the cut feels fine. I'll take off the bandages later."

"Alright. I'll be back soon, and please try not to get in any trouble."

"I can't promise, but I'll stay in here if it helps you feel any better." Meta Knight lifted his mask and drank the rest of the soup; Fumu grinned at him before dashing out the door. As the knight relaxed in his chair, hands suddenly grabbed him from behind and crashed his head against something hard, causing him to lose consciousness.

* * *

The box had to be somewhere under his bed, Kirby knew it. Yet he couldn't find it amidst all the junk underneath his bed in his little dome house. "Kirby!" Fumu burst into his house, sighing with relief when she saw his pink stubby legs sticking out from underneath the bed. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Kirby. Don't you know how dangerous it is to be on your own?"

"Poyoo. Poyo poyo puyo puya!" Kirby indignantly poyoed, coming out from under the bed. "Poyo box, now go." Fumu was about to ask what was in the box until she felt something slightly off-setting in the air around her.

"Alright, Kirby, you found the box. Now let's get moving." Kirby darted after Fumu as soon as he had inhaled the present.

Meta Knight was not in the main room when Fumu and Kirby scurried inside. "He's still in the apartment," Fumu consoled herself. "He's probably in his bed reading a book with his mask off or sleeping, or…" But Kirby's repeated cries of "Mena Naito!" crushed her hopes that he was anywhere nearby.

"He couldn't have wandered," Fumu thought forlornly, plopping down on the armchair in the living room. "Meta Knight isn't the kind who likes wandering and I don't think he can walk anywhere yet without holding onto something, so the only reason he's gone is because…" She couldn't think of anything as she listened to Kirby searching for the knight, racking her mind for any possibilities. Remembering a movie she had once watched, Fumu suddenly gasped, a terrible idea bombarding her mind. The reason Meta Knight had disappeared was because someone had taken him.


	8. Chapter 4 Part 1

**This is all I have so far about Chapter 4, so as soon as I finish the rest, I'll post it. This involves some slight fluff, if you look _very_ closely.**

* * *

Meta Knight groaned and groggily sat up. He rubbed the spot where whoever had taken him had cracked his head against something, and winced when the touch sent waves of pain flowing over him. He was in a musty dungeon of some sort, with Waddle Dees guarding the bars in front of him. "Please," Meta Knight thought, "I have a sword. I can easily cut through these." But even though he swung Galaxia with all the strength he could muster in his weak state, the bars showed no dent or scratch for all his efforts. "Try as hard as you can, Meta Knight, 'cause there's no way you're ever getting out! These bars is made with titanium!" King Dedede stood off to the side with his arms crossed and a satisfied grin on his face. "Now I got some questions for you. Where is Kirby?"

"I have no information on Kirby's whereabouts, sire." Meta Knight solemnly replied, holding his sword out in front of him.

"Oh really? Then why don't you break out those wings of yours and search for him? You'd be doing me a great favor, and I'd consider letting you go if you did."

"I do not possess wings, Your Majesty. Why would you think I, of all people, have wings?"

"I heard a rumor that your cape can transform into really cool wings and it makes you look like a bat! Show them to me right now!"

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, the day my cape transforms into wings is the day you go crazy. My cape cannot transform into anything and even if it did, I would never deliver Kirby into your dirty hands."

"Very well, then. Guards! Tie him up with that silencing rope we got yesterday and leave him there. I got better business to attend to." As King Dedede whirled around and started up the stairs, three Waddle Dees came in with an extensive length of glowing blue rope. One of them, who was surprisingly powerful for his small stature, held Meta Knight down and knocked Galaxia aside while the others wrapped him up. Then they brought in another length of regular rope, which they used to bind his feet together and his arms to his sides. Before long, the Waddle Dees had the knight securely immobilized in a cocoon of rope, with his masked eyes glowing blood-red from a gap in the front. Unable to move or talk, he could only watch as the Waddle Dees dropped their spears and waddled off to their breakfast. Meta Knight could sense the feeling draining from his limbs and being replaced with numbness. The ropes seemed to get tighter with every passing second, sucking away at his life force and replacing it with nothing. Just as his body was beginning to feel like air, something in the shadows stirred, and in a flash, two familiar figures were gripping the bars.

* * *

"Sir Meta Knight! We're so glad you're not hurt!" Fumu exclaimed. "Just wait, we'll get you out of there. Kirby, up there." Kirby took in a mouthful of air and started to float to the very top of the bars, where there was a space big enough for him to get into. The pink puffball squeezed through and landed inside the cell while Fumu slipped a hairpin from her pocket and wiggled it into the lock. "Kirby, get the sword and cut the rope, but be careful not to cut Meta Knight too." she commanded. "I've almost got this lock." Kirby nervously drew Galaxia, closed his eyes, and slashed through the restraints. The cocoon split apart, releasing the knight, but as he tumbled out, he was clutching his arm. The gate swung open with a loud _creak_ , attracting the Waddle Dees' attention and causing them to run over to the cell, spears held out in front of them. "Kirby! Let's go- make sure you bring the sword! I'll take Sir Meta Knight!" Fumu yelled, picking up Meta Knight and dashing for the end of the hallway. Kirby followed her, sword in paw, the Waddle Dees in close pursuit.

Fumu and Kirby burst into the outdoor hallways, sunlight flooding the walls and making them glimmer with color. Fumu had no idea which part of the castle they were in, but the Waddle Dees were getting closer and closer, so she had to make a wild guess on where to go. She and Kirby turned down several alleys and doubled over their path until the walls started to become familiar. The pattering steps faded away as the Dees gave up the chase and returned back to the dungeon. "I think they're gone," Fumu panted, "but what do you think, Kirby?"

"Poyo gone with the bweeze," Kirby sighed, slumping against the wall.

"That's good, and these halls are starting to look familiar, so I think we'll be able to make our way back to the apartment." she replied. "Oh, look, here it is!" By sheer luck, they had accidentally stopped right in front of Meta Knight's apartment. Thankful that they didn't have to walk any farther, they came into the apartment and collapsed onto the settee. "You know, Sir Meta Knight, you've been holding your arm ever since we got you out." Fumu noted. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"It's nothing you should worry about. Releasing me was too much of a risk for you already," the knight replied, shifting uncomfortably. "Besides, it is most likely a cramp from being tied up so long."

"Well, I've got to at least check. Come on, lift your hand for me." Meta Knight hesitated for some time, then finally let go of his other arm. Fumu gasped, for when she caught a glimpse of his arm, it was stained with blood.

* * *

Waddle Doo burst into the throne room where the King was and whispered something in his ear. "Repeat that again to me, Waddle Doo." Dedede growled quietly.

"Well, uh, Your Majesty, Meta Knight escaped. One of the Waddle Dees there at the time told me that a girl with long hair and Kirby helped him escape. They proved too quick for our sentries and the Waddle Dees were unable to catch them." Waddle Doo anxiously recapped.

"Escaping that much rope is near impossible! And then having enough strength to unlock the cell too…" Escargon sighed, a note of amazement in his voice. King Dedede brought his hammer down on the snail's head, which left him yelping and skittering away in pain.

"So! They escaped, you said? The three are the slippiest bunch of runaways I ever seen in my life. Hunt them down and bring them right here, and I want that done before nightfall!" Dedede commanded.

"But sire, how will we ever catch them before nightfall?" Waddle Doo protested. "Keep this between you and me, but sometimes the Waddle Dees can be slightly dim-witted."

"You sure right on the dim-witted part! That's all the more reason you should get out there and find them now!"

"Yes, sire! By noon, every Waddle Dee will be on the lookout and ready to report to you, Your Majesty."

* * *

"Meta Knight, is what King Dedede said true? Do you really have wings?" Fumu asked, washing down the wound.

"I do have wings, however I prefer not to use them unless absolutely necessary." Meta Knight flared his wings open; bat wings stretched and nearly hit some of the furniture. After a few flaps, they immediately morphed back into his cape. "I never knew you had wings. Why not show them off?" Fumu asked. "They're really nice."

"I am afraid that people will perceive me as a…" Meta Knight stopped, searching for the right word. "... demon beast."

"But Sir Meta Knight, you aren't a demon beast. We know that. Let me wrap up your arm now-it might get infected."

"No, Fumu. I can do it myself. After all, I still remember how to take care of my own wounds from all the war training I received." Meta Knight had said that a little harsher than he had intended and instantly regretted doing so; Fumu's expression changed from concerned to hurt. She left the roll of bandages on the table and yelled, "Kirby, let's go. Meta Knight doesn't need our help anymore." She indignantly marched it off the door, Kirby following her with a forlorn face. Suddenly, he spat out a slightly wet box. "Present for you, Mena Kni. Hopes you likes, poyo." Then the pink puffball skipped out the door after his friend. The knight sat on the couch for a while before opening the box.

* * *

Fumu opened the door to her luxurious penthouse home. It was where she, her family, and occasionally Kirby lived. Stretching her arms, she plodded over to her bed and collapsed gratefully onto it. As she was slowly nodding off, something jumped onto her exposed back. "Kirby! You scared me. What do you want?" Fumu exclaimed. "I was just about to sleep."

"You mean, poyo. You leave Kn-Kni alone when he hurt. You never do that to poyo, so why do to Meta?" Kirby scolded.

"Kirby, you heard Meta Knight, didn't you? He doesn't need our help. We can leave him alone for a while."

"Poyo going back. I not going to leave Meta alone when hurt, unlike you." Kirby ran back into the hallways, bursting out the door. After a sigh and a few yawns, Fumu ran after him.

* * *

How nice Kirby had been to make these shoes for him. They balanced his weight enough for him to stand and walk without wobbling or leaning on anything. Meta Knight slipped them on and felt the cool metal against his feet. His fresh wound began to burn painfully; he flinched as he wrapped it up. The knight was too mentally drained to remove the wrappings on his head, so he let them be as he walked to his room. The shoes made his feet feel heavier, but he'd have to get used to it. The knight took the last few steps to his bed and climbed on. Then Meta Knight began to do something he hadn't done ever since he had arrived on Popstar- he cried. He had lost so many friends- most of his friends and family to the war with Nightmare, Sword and Blade to the darkness, and now Fumu and Kirby… it was too much for him to bear. The mask came off; Meta Knight had to be able to bury his face in his warm gloves in order to sulk properly. His silent tears splashed onto the fluffy pillows and before long, he cried himself into a dreamless sleep.

"Kirby, please, you don't need to be in such a rush. It's not like we killed him by walking away so suddenly," Fumu complained. Kirby had taken her hand and was literally dragging her to Meta Knight's apartment. When they reached the door, it was closed, but surprisingly unlocked. "Kn-Kni? Mena Kni?" Kirby called. When no answer came, he was visibly upset. The pink puffball ran around the apartment, searching for at least one sign of his beloved mentor. He ran into the bedroom and let out a terrified whimper. Fumu raced into the room to see what was the matter until she saw the still figure on the bed. Meta Knight lay on top of the sheets, unmoving and seemingly dead. His mask lay off to the side, slightly wet. Kirby clambered onto the bed and gently shook the knight, who didn't respond. Tears welled up in Kirby's eyes as he hugged the elder Star Warrior. "Good Nova in space, we really did kill him," Fumu whispered. "Oh, Sir Meta Knight… Kirby, what have I done?"


	9. Chapter 4 Part 2

**I'm not dead! It took some time for me to write this, so I hope you enjoy! I received a PM from someone (not listing names) asking why every author liked killing Meta Knight in their stories. Am I that kind of author? You'll find out!**

* * *

Escargon drew in a sharp breath. His quivering hands were not going to do him any good, and he knew that. The camera had to be in the perfect place to get the maximum coverage of the battle happening in a few days. "And… there!" The snail sighed with relief. It was the last task of the day- the regular swords had been replaced with the new models, the speakers slipped into Sword and Blade's armor, and the cannons turned up to max power. "Hey, Escargon! I think Meta Knight's dead!" King Dedede exclaimed, running into the room with glee.

"What? Dead? But that's not supposed to happen until next week!" Escargon gasped. "We can't let him go down without a fight! I'll move the battle up, just to make sure."

"You do that, then, and I'll keep watching the feed on the room. I'll tell you if anything else pops up." King Dedede walked away, cackling to himself. The snail watched the king stroll away before going back to preparations.

* * *

"Meta… Naito-kyou…" Kirby whimpered, using his mentor's Japanese name. He had refused to leave the knight alone, even after Fumu had promised him his favorite foods if he'd leave. The pink puffball searched for signs that Meta Knight was still alive, in vain. Every time his search came up empty-handed, he lost hope and cried in the empty chair. Kirby was beginning to think the knight really was dead until he heard a soft voice. "Kirby, is that you?"

"Poyo?!" The said puffball clambered onto the bed and found that his mentor really was alive. Kirby's eyes welled up with delighted tears as he hugged Meta Knight.

"I thought you didn't want anything else to do with me." The knight said quietly. "After all, Fumu must've told you I didn't need your help." At the thought of Fumu suddenly leaving him, he broke into silent tears again, Kirby soothingly patting his back.

"Don't cwy, Meta poyo. I get Fumu to come back." Kirby said.

"She won't listen, Kirby," Meta Knight hiccupped. "Not after what I said to her."

"You just wait and see, poyo. Meta wike pwesent?"

"It was wonderful, Kirby. Thank you." Kirby grinned and pulled Meta Knight into a tight embrace before running for the door.

* * *

"Curse it! Meta Knight was just asleep!" Dedede roared, slamming the armrest of his throne.

"Well, sire, he's tougher than he looks. With one kick, he sent our tank sprawling down a mountain. He'd never die of an illness- ow!" The king pounded Escargon's head in with his giant mallet, then proceeded to drum his gloved hand on his throne.

"Escargon, send one of them knight students over and tell them the battle's been moved up. I want to see Meta Knight fall as soon as possible." The king commanded.

"Oh, alright, sire. Though I'm not sure they'll respond well to the news…" Escargon sighed, scribbling rapidly on a piece of paper. "Hey Sword! Go to Meta Knight's and give him this!" The said knight took the paper from the snail's hand and walked out the door in an almost robotic fashion, carrying the deadly news with him.

* * *

"Aah! Kirby!" Fumu exclaimed, startled by Kirby. The pink puffball had broken in again, this time during lunch. "What do you want?"

"Meta awake now." Kirby replied. "Go see him, wet's go, wet's go!"

"He's awake? So he was sleeping and not dead?"

"Yeah. Wet's go see him right now!"

"But Kirby, you know Meta Knight doesn't need or want our help. I wouldn't want to make him even angrier."

"But he weally sowwy that he make you go. Can't say no now, not after he sowwy."

"I was planning on eating lunch right now, Kirby. You can come and join us."

"How you think of lunch first?" Kirby was hungry, but helping anyone, especially Meta Knight, came before food and the idea of a full stomach. "Sword and Bwade must got you too, if you be so mean like that. And he did say he sowwy."

"I… wait, he said that he's sorry for making us leave?"

"And weally sad too. You know how Meta have no fwiends in castle if not us. Come on, pwease." Kirby put on his best puppy-dog look until Fumu sighed and reluctantly followed him.

* * *

Meta Knight slipped a spoonful of ice cream under his mask. Eating sweets had always been his guilty pleasure ever since he was young, and ice cream, especially chocolate, was his favorite. He sighed as he leaned back against the pillows, eyes turning blue. He always felt better after ice cream. The knight scooped up the last spoon of his frozen treat and was about to swallow it when the door to his room slammed open, giving him a brain freeze as the ice cream slipped down his throat. Coughing, Meta Knight watched Kirby peek into the room as he carefully hid the empty cup under the pillow. When their eyes locked, the pink puffball squealed in delight and hopped in. "Hewwo, Meta," Kirby chirped. "See who I got!" Fumu ran into the room and tackled Meta Knight onto the bed.

"Oh, Nova, Sir Meta Knight, I'm glad you're okay!" Fumu exclaimed, squeezing the knight. "I thought you were dead." The said knight did not respond for some time.

"... And I thought you hated me." He finally replied, eyes turning away.

Fumu was taken aback by his quiet answer. "But I have no reason to hate you!"

"You seem to."

"I would never hate you for anything! I'm sorry I lost my temper and left you alone."

"I accept and return the apology. I understand why you left, though it doesn't do me much good." Suddenly, a figure in cyan armor could be heard bursting through the front door. Meta Knight withdrew Galaxia and ran into the main room, ready to neutralize any threat. "For you, from His Excellency Escargon," Sword stated in a monotone voice, handing the knight a rolled piece of paper.

"Sword! Please, you've got to remember who we are!" Fumu yelled, running in. "You just have to remember something about us!"

"You are enemies of His Majesty Dedede and His Excellency Escargon. That is all."


	10. Chapter 4 Part 3

**Chapter 4 is over! The great battle's next, and I'm looking forward to writing it. But with the end of Chapter 5 also comes the end of this fanfiction, and I thank everyone for reading and supporting this. Wait, there's an epilogue after Chapter 5! Anyways, I'll definitely be posting other stuff on here (I already have) and I may switch topics from time to time. Until then, though, KirbyWrites, out!**

* * *

Meta Knight scanned the paper, eyes quickly moving from line to line. Fumu and Kirby joined him, even though Kirby hadn't yet learned how to read. "Battle… tomorrow?" Fumu inquired, baffled. "What battle?"

"It was after you left for the party. Remember when I told you that Sword and Blade attacked me and Kirby?" Meta Knight replied. "Right before they left, they mentioned meeting them at Whispy next week. The fact that they've moved it up is slightly troubling."

"Dedede wants to see you down so Kirby will be defenseless. This whole thing was always a plot against you and Kirby."

"Since when was Dedede not in a plot against me and Kirby? The king has wanted to get rid of Kirby from the moment he landed here, and he has been using every means possible to do it."

"If that's the case, then shouldn't you be training?"

"Fumu, it is not like I have forgotten how to wield my sword over the course of a few days. I don't mean it offendingly, but I'm sure I'll be fine without any other help."

"You've regained all control of your body? I wouldn't want you to injure yourself."

"I've been moving around just fine, especially with the shoes Kirby made me. Besides, what do you think I was doing after Kirby left to get you?"

"Eating ice cweam!" Kirby piped up. The pink puffball laughed, ran into the hallway, and brought out the empty ice cream cup from the knight's room. "Kaabii see you!" Meta Knight blushed fiercely behind his mask as one of his greatest secrets was discovered.

"Kirby, please put that back," he said, glancing nervously around the apartment for any signs of spyware. "You weren't supposed to find that, or bring it out, or be in my room in the first place…"

"Kaabii like ice cweam too," Kirby grinned, nuzzling the edge of the knight's cape. "Don't wowwy." Meta Knight's eyes turned pink from Kirby's understanding, then blue as he smiled under his mask.

"Well, now that you know that everything is alright," Fumu said, "would you like to have lunch now, Kirby?"

"Wunch, wunch!" The puff chirped, bouncing up and down at the prospect of food. "You come too, Meta. Might be hungwy."

"Please, Kirby, I'm really not that hungry, considering you're the one who caught me eating ice cream." Meta Knight replied. Then, his stomach grumbled, contradicting what he had just said. Kirby squealed and grabbed his mentor by the hand as he bounced towards Fumu's apartment. The knight sighed and allowed himself to be dragged along, though food didn't sound too bad just then.

* * *

"About time you came back," Dedede huffed, crossing his arms as Sword walked in. When the cyan figure didn't respond, the king pulled out his hammer and was about to slam it down on Sword's head before Escargon stopped him.

"Sire, please remember that they won't respond unless you want them to," the snail reminded.

"That's right! Well, how'd it go? I command you to respond!"

"The paper was delivered," Sword replied, "however I met with some opposition from the pink blob Kirby and a girl that yelled at me."

"He must mean Fumu! Doesn't that little squirt always bring the Warp Star with her?" Escargon noted.

"That's true! Let's grab her and make her tell us the location of Kirby's flying star! We bound to get her with these two doing all our dirty work!" Dedede chortled.

"But, sire, you know how Kirby, Fumu, and Meta Knight make an unstoppable team! They could beat us in ten seconds flat!"

"Then we're going with them. Let's go, Escargon!" Not waiting for a response, Dedede grabbed Escargon's hand and started pulling him towards the apartment, Sword, Blade, and a band of Waddle Dees following obediently.

* * *

Meta Knight heard footsteps resounding around the hallways. Those steps were all too familiar; living at the castle for ten years had etched the sound of Dedede's running steps into the knight's mind. They passed a small alley in the castle- the perfect place to hide. "Kirby, Fumu, turn here," he commanded.

"Why, Meta Knight? The penthouse is this way. I don't know what part of the castle this path leads to," Fumu replied in a perplexed tone. The footsteps were growing closer.

"Just do it," the knight growled, "and quickly." Kirby and Fumu ducked into the alley along with Meta Knight and watched silently as King Dedede, Escargon, Sword, Blade, and a troop of Waddle Dees came rushing by. They paid no heed to the three in the shadowy alley as their footsteps faded away in the direction of the knight's apartment.

"They thought they could catch us in your room," Fumu breathed. "Now I'm actually glad Kirby brought you along."

"I suppose so. Though I don't want to imagine what they'll be like when they find I'm not there," Meta Knight absently said, looking around for any more dangers. "And most likely they'll search at your place first. We'll be putting your family in immediate danger."

"Well, what am I supposed to do? Try to protect Kirby and let you get captured like last time?" The knight was left at a loss for words before sighing and venturing out of the safety of the shadows, surveying the area.

"All clear. Let's go."

* * *

"Yo, Meta Knight, open up this here door!" Dedede yelled. The king pounded on the locked door with his hammer.

"Yeah, surrender peacefully and we won't have the Waddle Dees poke you to death with their spears," Escargon added, a smirk on his face. The Waddle Dees raised their spears, ready to break down the door. The king and the snail pressed their nonexistent ears to the door, listening for any kind of weak reply from inside. When it didn't come, Dedede was furious. "He's hiding! Waddle Dees, charge!" The king roared. The squadron of Waddle Dees plowed towards the door, spear points at the ready. They broke down the door and spread into the room. Escargon strolled inside and looked around. "Doesn't seem like Meta Knight's anywhere here, sire," the snail sneered. "Maybe we should try that brat Fumu's place."

"Nonsense! This is where he lives, so of course he's bound to be here!" Dedede yelled back, sending the Waddle Dees, Sword, and Blade out to search. "Come on, you too, Escargon. Go look for him!" The king pulled out a squirt gun and put his finger on the trigger as he whirled it about. A few minutes later, the snail returned.

"Like I said, sire, he's nowhere to be found. No sign of him anywhere!" Escargon cried. "The Waddle Dees found nothing too."

"We been deceptified! They one step ahead! To the Cabinet Minister's place!" King Dedede thundered, rushing out of the door. "We interrogating that little squirt Fumu!" Sword, Blade, and the Waddle Dees raced after the king, but Escargon came along at a slower pace than the rest.

"Well, I tried to tell him," the snail sighed, "but since when did the king listen to me?"

* * *

Kirby inhaled the food on his plate and held it out, waiting to be given some more. "Kirby, please, there won't be enough for the rest of us!" Fumu scolded, spooning a second helping of trout and vegetables onto the puffball's outstretched plate. He smiled sheepishly and ran over to join Meta Knight, who was sitting on the couch. "Fow you," Kirby said, smiling as he handed the plate to his mentor. The knight turned around, eyes white from shock, before melting back into their usual yellow and taking the plate.

"For me? Thank you, Kirby," Meta Knight remarked, a smile evident in his voice. remarked, a smile evident in his voice. "But where is the spoon?" Kirby's eyes grew wide before he dashed over to Fumu in the kitchen and pestered her for one. Soon, he returned waving a metal spoon over his head and presented it to the knight, grinning widely. Meta Knight's eyes glowed a warm pink as he accepted the spoon, lifted his mask slightly, and started eating, back turned to the others. The room fell into a orgy of eating; suddenly, three loud knocks penetrated the noise. Everybody looked up in alarm as voices came through. "Hey, Cabinet Minister! Open up! We gotta have a talk with your annoying daughter!" It was clearly Dedede, and he sounded furious.

"Kirby, put this on the table, then come with me," Meta Knight instructed, pulling down his mask and holding out the empty plate. Kirby did as he was told and scurried to the knight and Fumu, who were quickly being ushered into a closet by Bun.

"Come on, you too, Kirby," Bun called, picking up Kirby and throwing him inside. The pink puffball landed on Fumu, who caught him and deposited him under a blanket next to Meta Knight.

"You have to be quiet now, Kirby," Fumu warned, lifting the blanket over her head. "Dedede is out there looking for us, and we can't let him catch us in here, okay? This is as far as we can go into this closet, and we can't run anywhere if he does get in here."

"Poyo…" Kirby nervously replied, squishing himself in between the two. Bun closed the door, plunging their hiding spot into pitch-black darkness.

* * *

Voices could be heard from outside. The creak of a door and the insistent poundings of feet preceded a clamor of arguing voices. Somewhere out there, Dedede, Sword, and Blade were looking for them. "What you mean they ain't here! They got to be here somewhere! Everyone on the search!" Dedede bellowed. Meta Knight felt the blanket in front of them, the only thing hiding them from view. He knew he wasn't supposed to move, but how could anyone hear the voice of their greatest enemy and not squirm in fear? Two soft hands slipped into his gloved one and he turned to see Fumu and Kirby holding it, both grinning confidently. The knight smiled behind his mask, then blinked as light flooded the closet beyond their cover. "Nothing here, sire," Escargon's voice called. There were some more pounding steps, then the king's voice could be heard.

"Well, they got to be here somewhere, and this is the last room! I'll search this here place myself!" Meta Knight could hear Dedede's thumping steps growing closer and closer, an occasional spray of gas breaking the steady pattern. Suddenly, Fumu and Kirby's hands grew slack in his; he looked over in alarm, then relaxed as he realized they were only asleep. Then the knight knew Dedede's plan- to make them fall asleep and render them helpless if captured. Kirby made a small noise and Meta Knight clamped his hand over the pink puffball's mouth. He drew in some air as the steps grew even closer; then he felt himself growing drowsy. The knight felt very tempted to sink into rest like the others had, but he resisted as much as he could, willing himself to hold out. His eyes slowly slid shut, and the last thing he heard was Escargon's irritated voice saying, "Nowhere around, sire."


	11. Chapter 5

**This is the whole of Chapter 5. I've finished it, and the series is technically over, unless you count the epilogue. I'll publish that later on, for those of you who don't want to end the story here. Even if you weep at the ending, that's why the epilogue is there. Thanks for all your support while I wrote this series! I don't think I can do any more series, but I'll still be doing some one-shots if I feel like it.**

* * *

Meta Knight reluctantly opened his eyes; how long had he been asleep? He lifted his mask and rubbed his eyes before replacing it. The closet was still dark, which helped his waking up, but then he noticed that Fumu and Kirby were missing. The knight looked around and was about to start searching for them when the door to the closet opened, flooding the small room with light and blinding him. Meta Knight withdrew Galaxia and was about to start attacking when he saw that the two beings in the door were the two he had been searching for; he quickly sheathed his sword. "Good mownin, Meta!" Kirby exclaimed, running over and hugging the blanket-buried knight.

It's so bright…" Meta Knight protested, shielding his eyes against the harsh light with his hand. "Why is it that bright anyways?"

"It's morning already," Fumu said. "You didn't know that?"

"Morning? W-what time is it?"

"It's just around 8. Why?"

"That is very late in the morning! Why did you not wake me up? We'll be late going to Whispy!"

"We won't be late. Besides, you were sleeping so peacefully when we saw you that we didn't want to wake you up. I hope that's okay with you."

"I suppose it's fine…" Meta Knight eyed the tray that Fumu was holding. "What is that?"

"It bweakfast!" Kirby piped up. "Since it mownin and Meta not eat yet, Kaabii and Fumu make bweakfast!" The knight cocked his head as the pink puffball brought the tray over and showed him its contents. A steaming bowl of ramen occupied the center portion of the tray, with dishes of meat, eggs, and vegetables surrounding the huge bowl. "It looks great," Meta Knight warmly praised, slurping up a portion. "And tastes like it looks- amazing. Now could you turn around for a bit?"

"Why? We've seen your face before. Come on, it can't be that bad letting us see it again," Fumu complained.

"Please, just for a few seconds…"

"Fine. You too, Kirby." Meta Knight turned his face to the wall, just in case, lifted his mask and inhaled everything quietly. From where they were standing, Fumu and Kirby could've sworn that they heard a rush of air very similar to the vortex of air Kirby used when he sucked enemies up. "You can turn back now," Meta Knight said. Fumu looked at the knight to find that the bowls were all completely empty, drained of every last drop.

"How did you… don't tell me you can inhale as well, Sir Meta Knight!" she exclaimed.

"My species, which I just so happen to share with Kirby, are all born with the ability to inhale, though only a select few have the Copy Ability. Most of us just use it for food since we have big appetites," the knight shrugged, walking into the main room. "Of course, I am not one of them, though I do enjoy a good meal from time to time. And now we should be going on to Whispy."

"You're right. Kirby, let's go!" Fumu called. The said puff leapt into Fumu's arms; flaring his wings open, Meta Knight grabbed Fumu's free arm and sailed out the window.

* * *

"Sire, remind me again why we're going out so early," Escargon yawned, sleepily twisting the driver's wheel. "It's barely 9, and that's when my job starts!"

"You just don't get it, Escargon," Dedede scolded, nodding his head. "Meta Knight's probably at Whispy by now, and if he ain't, he's already awake! We got to be out there early to meet him!" Sword and Blade watched the countryside flit by without interest; the cannons had been stuffed into the trunk by a herd of Waddle Dees, which were faithfully running behind the tank.

"Sire, are you sure it's healthy for the Waddle Dees to be running without breaks like that?" the snail said, glancing back.

"Well, of course it is! That there is exercise, and Nova knows that I should do some of that sometime! Besides, the Waddle Dees need to get on their feet more often," the king chortled.

"The Waddle Dees are already on their feet 24/7 making sure you're comfortable…" Luckily, Dedede didn't hear Escargon's remark, so he didn't respond as the tank swerved into the village and onto the road to the woods.

* * *

"Meta Knight, please, we're going to crash into something!" Fumu yelled against the tailwind, hair whipping wildly. They had reached the woods some time ago, but since Dedede hadn't showed up, Kirby had asked Meta Knight to take them for a ride through the forest and persuaded her to come along. Another branch came within centimeters of her face and she gripped the knight's armored feet harder. "This is how I used to fly," Meta Knight hummed, Kirby shrieking and laughing on his back. "I've missed the adrenaline that dodging branches at full speed gives."

"Well, you have a mask, and the rest of us don't! Can we do something that doesn't involve branches or trees for now so no one gets hurt?!"

"I suppose, though you may find you'll enjoy the branches better after this." The winged Star Warrior put on a burst of speed and began soaring upward. They crashed through the layer of leaves and foliage, sun beating down harshly on them, before Meta Knight angled his wings and they plummeted down.

* * *

Fumu screamed as she saw the ground whirling closer and closer; right as she thought she was going to crash and meet her death, a whoosh of air greeted her and she found herself skimming a meter above the ground. "Good Nova, Sir Meta Knight, don't ever do that again! I was scared half to death!" Fumu yelled.

"I told you the branches would be better. That was more an old war tactic than fun. The only difference, of course, is that I'd let go of the enemy before I slowed my fall," the knight smirked, eyes briefly glowing pink. "And we are back at Whispy with still no sign of Dedede." Meta Knight slowed to a stop, wings morphing back into his cape, and Kirby slid off his back begging for more. Fumu let go of the knight's feet gratefully and slumped onto the ground before getting up and brushing herself off. She checked that the first-aid kit she had brought was still securely fastened to her. "You haven't taken the bandages off yet?" Fumu queried, noting the gauze wrapped around the knight.

"No, I had forgotten about it. I remember planning to take it off, but I never did," Meta Knight said. "Kirby, do you mind? I can't reach the one on my head." The puffball in question stood on the tips of his feet and reached up, slowly untying the white covering. "Poy!" Kirby's eyes widened, tears forming at the very corners, and he stopped, the bandages looped around his arms.

"Kirby, why'd you stop?" The knight asked, unwrapping his arm.

"Um… Sir Meta Knight, you might want to see this…" Fumu pulled out a small mirror from the kit and showed it to the blue puffball. Red streaks extended from an ugly gash that had since scarred over, and there were traces of black here and there.

"That's clearly infected," Fumu stated worriedly. "We've got to let that clear up before you fight!"

"Hm. It would explain why I've been feeling rather under the weather lately…" Meta Knight rumbled. "But I cannot leave."

"Why not? If this doesn't clear up, you could die in this battle! Do you want this fight to be your last?"

"Death is part of every battle, a risk that all must take. Besides, my knightly code of honor prevents me from running away from any battle."

"Screw your code of honor! I don't want you to die, Meta Knight. Not after you… died last time."

"If I was dead, I wouldn't be here right now. And if you are talking about after you stormed out, I was asleep, not dead."

"My point stands. You can't fight Sword and Blade unless you're at the best condition you can be! And your arm is like that too! You can't do this." Fumu pointed at the bandages that the knight had been untying, and the laceration on his arm showed the same red streaks and scar.

"I see. Yet I have told you, I cannot leave because of my code of honor. I swore to not break the code when I first became a knight, and I do not intend to do it now," Meta Knight explained.

"At least get Kirby to help you," Fumu pleaded.

"I am going to have Kirby help me. Taking on both of my own knaves while they're brainwashed? No doubt the only thing that hasn't been washed from their minds is their sword skills." Meta Knight tossed a spare sword to the pink puffball, who sucked it up and turned into Sword Kirby with a blinding light. As Fumu was about to respond, a roaring tank tore into the trees and ground to a halt in front of them. The elder Star Warrior pulled out his sword with a bolt of lightning, revealing the outlines of the king, Escargon, Sword, Blade, and at least 50 Waddle Dees. The lightning faded and Sword and Blade stood in front of the tank, cannons ready to fire. "Hello, Meta Knight! We meet again," Dedede boomed, voice carrying throughout the forest.

"Hello, Great King," Meta Knight sarcastically responded, eyes slitted. "What brings you here on this fine morning?"

"You know what I want: a fight!" The king stood up with an evil grin on his usually placid face, eyes gleaming with a thirst for blood. The knight held Galaxia out with one hand and shooed Fumu away with the other, indicating that he didn't want her to get hurt.

"Stay safe, Sir Meta Knight," she whispered, melting into the shadows. "And good luck."

* * *

King Dedede and Escargon had long since left, and the only ones in the clearing now were Sword, Blade, and the two puffballs. A microphone crackled and Dedede's voice came through. "I don't hear no shots and fighting! Where all the booming and stuff? Start firing!" On cue, balls of lightning and long vines started flying through the clearing.

"Kirby! Watch out!" Meta Knight yelled, jumping over a lightning ball. "Be careful of the vines!" Kirby leapt over a few and slashed a couple with his sword before one pushed him and threw him into a tree. Snaking green tendrils slithered up to the pink puffball as he lifted himself back onto his feet; the knight jumped in front of Kirby, secretly using his wings to give him some lift, and fended off the jabbing vines. All the while, Meta Knight could hear a constant bzzt sound slowly growing louder, and he saw the clearing growing brighter. The vines moved back, nicked and slashed, and multiple of them were laying dead on the earth. "Poyo!" Kirby slashed inches from his mentor and blocked a well-aimed electric ball that had been coming for him. Dedede's voice broke out again, and he seemed even angrier than last time.

"The cannons is too easy for two Star Warriors like them! Pull out them swords!" Sword and Blade abandoned the bulky cannons and pulled out two glowing swords- one fiery red, the other icy blue. Sword lunged for Meta Knight; Blade's red sword clashed with Kirby's. The knight could hear the king yelling directions from somewhere on their armor. "Left! Right! Slash, then feint and uppercut! Bring it down hard!" Knowing Sword's plans made it much easier for the armored puffball to dodge or counter his former knave's attacks. Occasionally, the glowing blue edge would connect with his body, sending chilling pain through his limbs. Blood dripped off of another gash on Meta Knight's left arm as he struck Sword in the side. As the knight swung his sword faster, he could make out Dedede's voice in the fog of battle but he couldn't tell what the king was saying. Suddenly, thick green vines picked Meta Knight up and squeezed him hard, making him drop his sword and cry out in pain. From his precarious position in the air, the knight saw Sword run to the other cannon and fire it up. He realized what was coming a second too late.

* * *

Lightning streaked through the sky and into his body, sending waves of white-hot pain through every nerve. The blinding light filled his vision as more and more electricity surged through him; keeping consciousness was getting harder with each passing second, like holding onto a cliff while torrential rains battered him from above. Sharp swords of pain stabbed him everywhere as he clawed the vine with his hands. "It's over," the knight thought, pushing through the pain. "This is how it ends." Suddenly, the lightning stopped, leaving Meta Knight fighting for breath. Black dots danced through his line of vision and then the knight felt himself being hurled through the air; he collided with wood and was knocked into unconsciousness as he slumped against the ground. Kirby had seen everything.

* * *

"Sir Meta Knight!" Fumu screamed, darting from her hiding place in the shadows. She approached the knight carefully and knelt down by his side. His mask was cracked and burns of various degrees covered his body. The many cuts were slowly oozing blood onto the pristine green grass beneath him, and one of his feet was limp. Kirby ran over in concern and he started crying when he saw his mentor's grave injuries, closing his eyes to do so. When the pink puffball opened his eyes again, they were blazing with fury. He picked up Meta Knight's sword from the ground and stood there, energy gathering at the tip of the blade. With a battle cry, Kirby jumped up and unleashed two sword beams. The waves of energy sliced the cannons cleanly in half, releasing colored smoke, and the battle was over as quickly as it had started.

* * *

"Urgh… Blade, what happened? All I remember was Lord Meta Knight telling us we would become knights, real ones," Sword groaned, rubbing his head.

"Don't ask me; I've been as helpless as you," Blade grunted, standing up. Their gaze traveled from the smoking cannons to Fumu and Kirby tending to a familiar shape. The two shared a look of horror before running towards them. "Kyou!" They yelled, concern evident in their voice. Kirby saw them coming; he hissed and drew Galaxia, growling as he stood between Fumu and the two running figures.

"Come on, Kirby, let us see Lord Meta Knight for a few seconds, please," Sword begged.

"We're concerned about him because it looks like he's really hurt," Blade added. Kirby growled even deeper and swiped at them with the knight's golden blade while Fumu tended to some of the minor injuries.

"I don't want to fight you, Kirby," Sword challenged, "but if you don't cooperate I will. Nothing stands between us and our lord." Fumu looked up from the wound she was dressing and turned a burning glare onto the two knaves, making them shrink back.

"A lot of good your words do," she yelled, "since they come from the ones who hurt him this badly!" She turned back to dressing the wounds, Sword and Blade silenced at her statement, and stood up a few minutes later.

"Kirby, do you happen to have anything in that stomach of yours to cart Meta Knight back to town?" Fumu asked, packing up her supplies. Kirby stood there before he spat out a canopy-covered wagon. She picked up the knight's body, lowered him into the slightly damp wagon, and began pulling it towards the town.

* * *

He looked almost dead, another one of war's many victims. Yet in her heart, Fumu knew that Meta Knight had not yet gone. Somewhere in that still body was a spark of life, and she would not let that spark die out. Sword and Blade solemnly followed the wagon at the back, quieted by the prospect that they had harmed their lord so badly. The knight had woken several times in the trek, but hasn't said anything; at most, he smiled weakly at Kirby. The pink puffball was diligently walking besides the wagon holding Galaxia and the warrior's mask. "Hang on, Meta," Kirby whispered, leaning into the wagon and holding the knight's hand. "You going to be poyokay." Meta Knight's only response was a flicker of blue in his half-closed eyes and a small attempt to squeeze the stubby paw back. They broke out of the woods and into the village; Kirby tugged Fumu's hand towards the hospital and she complied, turning towards the building and going inside. The doctor took one look at the procession, grabbed the wagon's handle, and walked off into the ward with it. "Fumu? Meta gonna be poyokay?" Kirby asked, sitting on a chair next to his friend.

"I hope so, Kirby. I hope so."


	12. Epilogue

**The official end of this book! I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. I've got a list of one-shots I want to write, so no more series yet!**

* * *

"Please, sir, you've got to forgive us! We never knew we were walking into a trap that day," Blade pleaded. He and Sword had been trying to win their lord's trust again, but the knight was making it very hard to do so.

"And you did not think anything was weird about that day?" Meta Knight asked, eyes narrowing.

"Well, your voice was a little weird, and you said you had to interact with the king, which you hate doing unless you absolutely have-"

"There is your proof. Had I wanted to make you knights, which will not happen for some time, I would have done so from the privacy of our own room. Think about it and when you come back tomorrow, and I hope you don't, tell me why you did not think even once that it was not right. Now leave."

"But sir-"

"I said _leave_." Sword and Blade walked out of the room forlornly and Meta Knight looked around the white room from under his white blankets. Everything here was white, and he longed for the blues and greens of the outside world. Of course, it'd be some time before he could actually go there; until then, he had to be content with glances out of the window. Then there were more footsteps and he groaned inwardly before he realized that the steps were not the same. These were the steps of a young child and a bouncing puffball. The knight glanced in that direction and suddenly, Kirby was on his unprotected face.

"Kirby! Get off my head!" He commanded. Kirby slid off with a bashful look before handing Meta Knight a box. The blue puffball opened the box and found a new set of his armor and his polished sword inside, without all the scratches and blood from earlier.

"Where did you find this?" The knight put on the armor as he said it and was thankful for the mystery it seemed to give.

"We find in Meta's woom," Kirby grinned. Suddenly, the door opened and revealed Sword and Blade, no doubt back to apologize again.

"Sir, we're sorry-" Blade started.

"That is the 152nd time you have said sorry to me today," Meta Knight interrupted. "As I have already said, it's fine; I just don't trust you like I did before."

"We'll do anything to regain your trust, sir, anything!"

" _Any_ thing?"

"Yes!"

"Come here. You'll have to…" The knight's voice dropped to a whisper as he pulled a video camera out of his cape and handed it to them. Sword and Blade nodded and dashed out the door. Fumu stared after them with slight interest. "What did you ask them to do?" she said.

"Just something I've always wanted to do," Meta Knight shrugged, "only I've never had the guts to do it."

* * *

A few minutes after Sword and Blade left, a sudden realization hit Meta Knight and he turned to face the window as much as he could without twisting his broken foot.

"Something wrong?" Fumu asked kindly. "You can tell us if you want."

"I… I lost to my own knaves. My students. _We_ didn't win the battle, Kirby did. I'm so… weak."

"You're not weak! You're the best swordsman I know. And Kirby couldn't have won without you. Besides, Sword and Blade only got you because they used some nasty tricks."

"I suppose you're right… Though I still can't shake the feeling that they have beaten me at my own sport."

"Just tell yourself that it isn't true. Soon enough you'll get out of it." The door opened and Sword and Blade came in with the video camera. Meta Knight, Fumu, and Kirby crowded against the screen, watching as Sword talked to the pompous king and the equally pompous snail. Then a cloud of dust billowed through the room and left Dedede and Escargon frozen. They all laughed aloud and Meta Knight's eyes turned a bright shade of pink. Yesterday, he had cried- a symbol of how lonely he was. But now, surrounded by people who cared about him, lonely was the last thing he'd feel.


End file.
